It is important to move around the classroom for a number of reasons. It makes the entire room the instructional area; it keeps the students on task better when they realize that they can't hide in the back of the room and do other things, and it gives the students the opportunity to refocus their eyes.
It engages students in the class.
Hi Paul!
I like moving around in the classroom - as the instructor, it makes me more approachable and students do say more focused. No matter how tight the room, I do my best to move as much as possible.
Good job!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
Moving around ensures that all students are receiving the attention of the instructor and becoming involved in any discussion, and not left behind. It is worth saying out of my observation that students sitting back in the class are more prone to distractions and to having lower grades. It is my responsibility as an instructor to make sure that every student in the classroom is engaged and on task. In reality, this may not be easy due to crowded class and no enough space to move around. Also if I need to cover huge amount of material in short time and moving on with my lecture is a priority.
Good job Barbara!
I think moving about the classroom gives students a sense of belonging and builds self confidence. The instructor is offering themselves as a very important resource.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
Again Donna, your class allows for very practical and real life experiences very easily.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
In a lecture-style classroom, I walk up and down the side of the room and only stay near the front when I need to write on the board. It helps to get the "back benchers" involved. In classes where the students do a lot of work on assignments at individual computers, I make sure to wear comfortable shoes so I can get to them quickly when they have questions!
I agree. I teach a court reporting theory class, and by my moving around the classroom during my lecture and dictation I am able to observe students' finger placement and movement. It also helps the students adjust to writing voices coming from varying directions.
It is a good way to make the nerves calm down for a new instructor. It also makes the students re- focus,
Hi Halina!
Moving about the room encourages interaction because it keeps everyone engaged.
Good job!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
when I move around in class, the students get a chance to refocus and I get to focus on students from a different angle.
There a few different reasons why it is important for the instructor to move around the classroom. Since students time spans to focus are short moving around will draw their attention into a new area allowing them to refocus. Walking around the class room can also let students know that this is your classroom and you can lecture from any point in it. Student distractions like cell phone, surfing the web, side conversations, and side notes are less likely to happen if the instructor is moving around the class room.
Hi Mark!
It's about connecting with students which helps them feel like they are an important past of the learning experience.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 facilitator
I think its important because not only does it show the instructors enthusiasm but it also lets the students be a part of the learning environment as apposed to just being someone sitting at a desk
Hi Gregory!
I have moved up and down in lecture halls - just not as much. Choose those times that are most comfortable for movement. When a student is discussing a topic, I will often move to the area as they talk. Then challenge other students to discuss.
Keep up the good work!
jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
It shows a degree of confidence and maybe even enthusiasm (so excited you can't stay in one place). It also keeps students more involved as they change their visual focus. It allows you to make visual contact with students. But--what do you do in large lecture halls, tiered seating where moving up and down long distances is impractical and may be more distracting than beneficial? Alternative techniques done from a stage?
Hi Richard!
I like to make different areas of the classroom into learning centers using posters, games, colorful paper with sample test questions, etc.. So when I move to that area as I present info, students become very engaged.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
I try to use as much of the space given as the classroom as possible. By moving around the room, I try to put the students focus on different areas of the classroom. It does help to keep them focused by moving often. It also seems to me to be a natural part of human interaction. If one is, too still, there is less life to one's delivery and it can get boring very quickly. I try to avoid that. It also helps me to move around the area. Finally, I try to use proximity to the students as a way of getting them to focus. In today's age with so many digital distractions, the more the students feel that I am among and part of them rather than being removed from them, the more they'll focus on me and the class and not the cell phone or the text message that are constantly coming their way.
It encourages students to be alert during the lecture or conversation, but it also generates energy in the classroom. When I was in management, one of our slogans around the restaurant was, 'The pace of the leader is the pace of the pack' (sometimes shouted as a call/response!). That translates into the classroom as well. If the instructor feels the energy to move about the environment, students almost subconsciously reflect that energy as well.
I believe that when I move around the classroom it engages the students in my lecture. I can stop at a student and engage them and also let them know that if you are not paying attention, I will know.
